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      12-02-2023, 11:54 PM   #1
ttx3m
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To start off I have a 22 Brooklyn Grey Comp. I’ve been looking at carbon parts since purchasing the car about a year ago.

With recent black Friday deals I finally pulled the trigger on a few parts.

RW Carbon front lip
RW Carbon rear diffuser
RW Carbon side skirts
RW Carbon full replacement grill
Unit17 Carbon Boot Spoiler
Autotecknic Carbon mirror covers
eBay Carbon brake duct trim (runnstar)
eBay Carbon radiator/intercooler duct trim (runnstar)
eBay Carbon side vents (runnstar)
eBay Carbon center console (runnstar)
eBay Carbon steering wheel trim (runnstar)
eBay Carbon radio bezel trim (runnstar)
Amazon Carbon magnetic paddles
Aliexpress Carbon seat back covers
JBSpeed Carbon Roundels
Automotive Passion Carbon front mud flaps

So far I have received the RW front lip and diffuser. They had fast shipping and they seem to be good quality.

Today I installed the rear diffuser. Pretty simple install. Only 4 screws to remove the oem diffuser. Figuring out how to get the plastics clips to release was probably the hardest part. Just took my time and looked at them carefully to figure out what needed to be compressed to remove.

Install of the diffuser was straight forward as well. It’s a very tight fit…I started with one side and just carefully worked my way to the other. Fit the 4 screws back and admired the new look.

One bonus after install I noticed the rear “kick motion” power liftgate still works. I thought I had read previously that rear diffusers caused a loss of this functionality so this was a nice surprise.

If I have to be picky about anything with the diffuser the fit around the exhaust area is not 100% perfect. There is a little space where it just doesn’t quite fit snuggly. But overall fit, finish and quality is great. This isn’t major and you wouldn’t notice.

I’ll be installing the front lip tomorrow and will add to this thread as I receive the other items as well. Eventually, I may add side skirts. I’ve also been thinking about having someone wrap my roof in Carbon as well. We’ll see how far this goes 😂

Here is a video showing the kick liftgate still working.
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      12-03-2023, 12:19 AM   #2
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Nice mods! I have the same year and color X3M. That Adam’s grapheme is fantastic.
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      12-03-2023, 04:55 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by cardtables View Post
Nice mods! I have the same year and color X3M. That Adam’s grapheme is fantastic.
Thanks, I’ve really enjoyed the color and I think the carbon goes well with it too. I really like the Adams Graphene as well.
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      12-03-2023, 05:10 PM   #4
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Was able to get the lip installed today. It took a bit longer as I did it alone. Did not use a lift nor did I jack up the car. Took my time to get it aligned and use painters tape as a guide to get it where i wanted.

The lip came with pre drilled holes which I had assumed a couple would have been for the the stock bolts but that was not the case. All pre drilled holes took self tapping screws which they provided. Instead of a power drill I used a small hand drill bit that I had which worked really well.

After mocking it up I used a few strips of 3m tape on the areas where the lip would make contact with the bumper. This also helped to get it aligned and hold it up enough to drill and use the provided screws.

Overall, another quality part and I’m happy with the outcome!
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      12-03-2023, 06:43 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttx3m View Post
Was able to get the lip installed today. It took a bit longer as I did it alone. Did not use a lift nor did I jack up the car. Took my time to get it aligned and use painters tape as a guide to get it where i wanted.

The lip came with pre drilled holes which I had assumed a couple would have been for the the stock bolts but that was not the case. All pre drilled holes took self tapping screws which they provided. Instead of a power drill I used a small hand drill bit that I had which worked really well.

After mocking it up I used a few strips of 3m tape on the areas where the lip would make contact with the bumper. This also helped to get it aligned and hold it up enough to drill and use the provided screws.

Overall, another quality part and I’m happy with the outcome!
Both look great, and awesome job on the installs!
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      12-03-2023, 08:29 PM   #6
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thanks for sharing, I've been looking at similar mods

Now that I know the fitment is good, I'll pull the trigger
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      12-03-2023, 09:05 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttx3m View Post
Was able to get the lip installed today. It took a bit longer as I did it alone. Did not use a lift nor did I jack up the car. Took my time to get it aligned and use painters tape as a guide to get it where i wanted.

The lip came with pre drilled holes which I had assumed a couple would have been for the the stock bolts but that was not the case. All pre drilled holes took self tapping screws which they provided. Instead of a power drill I used a small hand drill bit that I had which worked really well.

After mocking it up I used a few strips of 3m tape on the areas where the lip would make contact with the bumper. This also helped to get it aligned and hold it up enough to drill and use the provided screws.

Overall, another quality part and I’m happy with the outcome!
Be careful, this CF is addictive (and expensive).
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      12-03-2023, 09:27 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by KodiakEd View Post
Be careful, this CF is addictive (and expensive).
Tell me about it! I’ve already been looking at other pieces. I’m hoping to be satisfied for a while once I get the other few pieces later this week. But who am I kidding hah
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      12-04-2023, 01:45 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttx3m View Post
Tell me about it! I’ve already been looking at other pieces. I’m hoping to be satisfied for a while once I get the other few pieces later this week. But who am I kidding hah
No……you won’t be satisfied for long. I predict a nice pair of front vents in carbon?

Carbon front kidney grill surround is my next fix. I’ve gone carbon interior first as I can see it more.
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      12-04-2023, 06:56 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun170 View Post
No……you won’t be satisfied for long. I predict a nice pair of front vents in carbon?

Carbon front kidney grill surround is my next fix. I’ve gone carbon interior first as I can see it more.
When you get the grill surround let me know how the install was. I would like the front vents but I’ve read install on those is kind of a pain and after installing the front lip that would now have to come off to access the pins that hold them on the bottom. So probably will not do the front vents at this point!
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      12-04-2023, 09:02 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttx3m View Post
When you get the grill surround let me know how the install was. I would like the front vents but I’ve read install on those is kind of a pain and after installing the front lip that would now have to come off to access the pins that hold them on the bottom. So probably will not do the front vents at this point!
i have it all. grills are straight forward; just gotta be careful with detaching the vertical slats from the surrounds as the clips are fragile. use a hair dryer or heat gun so they are a bit more pliable.

in hindsight, the side front vents is easy too. simply remove the two bottom plastic pins and pull the vents upward. when you have enough clearance, remove the PDC sensor. pull out and they’ll detach quickly. grab the replacement piece and start from the top. install half way, then go through the front fender wheel lining to install the PDC sensor from the rear. once clipped, finish pushing the side vent all the way down. install the two bottom pins and youre done.

but yeah, shouldve done that first before the front lip.
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      12-04-2023, 02:25 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttx3m View Post
When you get the grill surround let me know how the install was. I would like the front vents but I’ve read install on those is kind of a pain and after installing the front lip that would now have to come off to access the pins that hold them on the bottom. So probably will not do the front vents at this point!
I personally like the gloss black and CF contrast, so would leave the vents black and just do the grille surrounds in CF.
Just my $.02
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      12-04-2023, 07:46 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by danniexi View Post
i have it all. grills are straight forward; just gotta be careful with detaching the vertical slats from the surrounds as the clips are fragile. use a hair dryer or heat gun so they are a bit more pliable.

in hindsight, the side front vents is easy too. simply remove the two bottom plastic pins and pull the vents upward. when you have enough clearance, remove the PDC sensor. pull out and they’ll detach quickly. grab the replacement piece and start from the top. install half way, then go through the front fender wheel lining to install the PDC sensor from the rear. once clipped, finish pushing the side vent all the way down. install the two bottom pins and youre done.

but yeah, shouldve done that first before the front lip.
Yours was one I looked at many times! I really like the Brooklyn grey with carbon so definitely an inspiration!

Quote:
Originally Posted by 95wildtt View Post
I personally like the gloss black and CF contrast, so would leave the vents black and just do the grille surrounds in CF.
Just my $.02
I like this as well…the side fender vents I went with the “boomerang” piece only. Liked that look better than the full vent.
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      12-05-2023, 01:20 PM   #14
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Looks great!
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      12-08-2023, 09:39 PM   #15
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Autotecknic mirror caps and side vent trim arrived this week. I cleaned these up with Graphene tonight and will get them installed tomorrow after I give the car a bath!
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      12-09-2023, 06:57 PM   #16
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Cleaned up the car today and attempted install of the Autotecknic mirror caps and side vent trim.

Mirror caps 👍
Side vent trim (boomerangs) 👎

I would definitely NOT recommend the side vent trim. It’s a stick on so it just covers the existing trim. It did not fit well and when test fitting before sticking. They came ready with 3m tape. I tried anyways and it would not stick and could not get it to sit flush.

I ended up scratching up my oem boomerang trim piece in the process. I though maybe it was the 3m tape that came pre installed so I removed it and added my own (same that’s I just used last weekend on my front lip). Still a no go. I think the biggest issue is that it doesn’t sit flush so you can’t get it to stick.

Didn’t even attempt the other side. Going to contact Autotecknic about this.

Autotecknic mirror caps fit great no problems there. Five minutes to install those. By the time I got done messing with the boomerang it was dark so I’ll have to get a photo later.

Anyways, would not recommend trying the boomerang overlays. Not worth it imo.
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      12-10-2023, 06:54 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttx3m View Post
Cleaned up the car today and attempted install of the Autotecknic mirror caps and side vent trim.

Mirror caps 👍
Side vent trim (boomerangs) 👎

I would definitely NOT recommend the side vent trim. It’s a stick on so it just covers the existing trim. It did not fit well and when test fitting before sticking. They came ready with 3m tape. I tried anyways and it would not stick and could not get it to sit flush.

I ended up scratching up my oem boomerang trim piece in the process. I though maybe it was the 3m tape that came pre installed so I removed it and added my own (same that’s I just used last weekend on my front lip). Still a no go. I think the biggest issue is that it doesn’t sit flush so you can’t get it to stick.

Didn’t even attempt the other side. Going to contact Autotecknic about this.

Autotecknic mirror caps fit great no problems there. Five minutes to install those. By the time I got done messing with the boomerang it was dark so I’ll have to get a photo later.

Anyways, would not recommend trying the boomerang overlays. Not worth it imo.
I bought these, proper carbon version, and the fit and finish is spot on.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtGyp2u

I went without X3M badge as mine is not an X3M

Don’t forget Autotecknic is just the same Chinese stuff with a mark up and quicker delivery times so the fitment will still be hit and miss.
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      12-10-2023, 03:30 PM   #18
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Fitment with the ones I received was certainly a miss. The ones you have look pretty good!

My only concern is swapping the badge. I want to keep the badge vs having them blank. New ones might be the way to go…I think I’ve read they are not the easiest to remove and I want to keep all my parts for return to stock.

Does anyone know where to buy the side vent x3m badges?
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      12-10-2023, 04:52 PM   #19
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Looks like they may not sell the badge separate. Instead have to buy the whole trim piece.
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      12-11-2023, 02:44 AM   #20
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I chose to not have a badge. The ones I ordered could have come with a badge. It isn’t shown in the sellers pictures for copyright reasons. Privately message the seller and he should send you pictures.
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      12-11-2023, 08:52 PM   #21
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Here is a quick shot of the mirror caps
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      12-20-2023, 03:32 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun170 View Post
I bought these, proper carbon version, and the fit and finish is spot on.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtGyp2u

I went without X3M badge as mine is not an X3M

Don’t forget Autotecknic is just the same Chinese stuff with a mark up and quicker delivery times so the fitment will still be hit and miss.
Link is not working, do you recall the name of the shop?
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